Kenny Garrett's Hutong Odyssey: Jazz Legend Talks Prior Courtyard Residency Ahead of Mar 9-10 Gigs

Plenty of musicians rarely see the cities they perform in. The routine all too often goes something like: Plane. Car. Venue. Hotel. Repeat. If a musician is lucky during the Beijing leg of their tour, they might have just enough time to squeeze in a visit to Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, or some other tourist trap. But all that couldn’t be further from the truth for Kenny Garrett.

The legendary saxophonist – known for playing with the likes of Duke Ellington and Miles Davis as a youngster, before embarking on a Grammy-winning solo career – ventured deep into Beijing’s hutong in the mid-'00s, not just a visit but a three-week residency to learn all he could about traditional Chinese music. The result: his 2006 fusion album Beyond the Wall, which was hailed as a classic and won numerous awards. Since then the esteemed horn star has played Blue Note Beijing’s inaugural concert in 2016, and from Mar 9-10 he’ll return to serenade one of his favorite cities.

Below, Garrett tells us more about his affinity for the Middle Kingdom, his memories of playing with Miles Davis, and more. 

Hi Kenny, it’s a pleasure to speak with you.
Thanks calling back! Sorry I missed your call earlier. I was practicing and didn't hear it in time.

Nice! What are you practicing for?
I have a little concert tomorrow, where I’ll playing for kids for Black History Month and putting on a little presentation. It’s really rewarding to give back to the community, and I try to do so whenever I can.

Sounds like you’re busy. Beijing’s jazz fans are glad you could squeeze us into your schedule.  
Well, I had such a great time the last time I was there with my band, in 2016. We opened up the Blue Note on that stop, so it was really memorable. I’d been to Beijing before that, but this was my first time performing there.

Did you have fun exploring the city on that last trip as well? I heard a rumor you went to the East Shore Jazz bar after your gig and played an impromptu set.
Actually, only my band did that. I was too jetlagged! But I’ve been to East Shore before and explored the hutongs quite a bit. I actually lived in a hutong as part of my research for my album Beyond the Wall [released in 2006 and was nominated for a Grammy].

How did that experience come about, and what did you enjoy most about it?
Well, I stayed in Beijing for about three weeks in 2005. A friend of mine had been living there for years and introduced me to some of his favorite music, which inspired me to make a concept album where jazz meets traditional Chinese music. I came to Beijing to deepen my knowledge and my friend recommended I stay in a hutong so that I could truly understand Chinese culture. I had been staying in a hotel and was eager to get out and try something else. But let’s just say I couldn’t move around as freely as I wanted to – I only knew how to say ni hao and xiexie!

It was winter time, freezing cold. And I would just go out, then come back exhausted at the end of the day after walking around. I didn’t take long for me to meet people and found way around. It changed my life, and after that I wasn’t afraid to go anywhere!

Sounds like you dove right in! What specific parts of your Beijing stay informed the music?
I was walking through a hutong one day and heard someone playing erhu. I loved the sound of that instrument right away and followed the sound to this door. I knocked and the door opened, so I went in, and saw this older guy playing it. He invited me in and just continued to play. I enjoyed it so much that when I went back to New York I had my manager help me find the best erhu player in the city, a master who is renowned, and he played on my album. Other people that contributed to the album, award winners like [vibraphonist] Bobby Hutchinson, were taken aback by the beautiful sounds Guo Wei could make with only two strings. From there, the album was received really well; I think a lot of people were shocked by it. So I’ll always cherish having that opportunity.

What other memories from your hutong stint stand out?
I spent a lot of time going to Peking opera, buying traditional music CDs at different shops, and just walking around and seeing people. When I was there the economy wasn’t on the level that it’s at now. It was a different time and everyone was pretty much hustling. Anyone who could speak English seemed to try and sell me artwork. Being there at that time, compared to when I returned two years ago, was really mindblowing. I’m so happy to see how the quality of life has improved for so many people. I’ve spent time in Japan and can speak some Japanese, which impressed Beijingers during my first visit, but no one seemed to care the next time I came. People seem so much more worldly there now.

When I came back I returned to the same hutong I had stayed in a decade earlier. They’d really changed it and fixed it up. The people there would only let me in the gate to take a peek but hopefully I can go again this time and take a better look.

Now that you’re returning, what can we expect from this Blue Note show compared to your last one?
My latest album, Do Your Dance!, has been out for about a year now, so we will play from that and other things from my whole catalog. It depends on how I feel that day, but we’ll just try to have fun.

The last time I was there was interesting because Blue Note was brand new in Beijing and a bunch of people were asking me if younger members of the audience would understand the music. Most of them turned out to be students who had lived abroad and were hugely informed, so no one had anything to worry about. I’m not interested in catering to people anyway – I’m just curious about how they will respond to what I play.

Lastly, I’d like to ask about your earlier days playing with Miles Davis. What are some of your fondest memories from that time?
I spent five and a half years playing with him, which is one of the longest tenures anyone has had with Miles. The only other person I can think of who was with him that long was Wayne Shorter. So I got to know Miles very well. I would hang with him off stage, and I heard him play every night. I heard him playing the language I wanted to learn.

He would play a line and I would play it back to him as meticulously as I could. One time he told Herbie [Hancock]: “Damn Herbie – Kenny’s playing all my wrong notes too!” And I didn’t even know there were any mistakes! It was just a great experience to play with him for that long a period. That style is still in my playing. Miles will always be in my music.

Kenny Garrett will perform at Blue Note Mar 9 and 10. For more information, click here.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: musicfocus.net, China Daily, thelastmiles.com